i'm here to collect your heart
by QueenOfThievesX
Summary: basically just lots of one-shots of some red band society relationships/friendships being cute. (chapter 3: dance, dance)
1. i wanna hold your hand

**1: Emma/Leo**

So maybe they hold hands a lot.

It's normal, expected even, because they're dating. And it's not even considered real PDA, _but we can make out if you're really interested, Dash -_

No, it's mostly because they need the reassurance that yeah, I'm still here for you, and you're going to be ok, and I'm not leaving.

So there's this one time when they're at Leo's grandma's house on a rare trip from the hospital, because sometimes the doctors grow hearts and let stuff like that happen. And his grandma made dinner, and Emma's trying her best, she really is, because she remembers very clearly what Lauren had said to her awhile ago about Leo not being a saint. And so she wants to get better, so badly she can feel her bones vibrate.

But sometimes she just can't help pushing her food around, because it just gets bad, and every bite that goes in is one more chance you lose to be normal, to be skinny, to have friends.

"Don't you like it, sweetie?" Leo's grandma interrupts her thoughts. "You should eat, you're so thin! I need to fatten you up!" She laughs, and it's totally innocent, in the most grandmotherly way, but Emma isn't really processing that too well.

Because_ I need to fatten you up_ is just repeating over and over in her head like some sick mantra, and suddenly she feels like puking up her guts. Because who is she kidding, that's all food ever does. Make you fatter, uglier, so no one wants to be around you and you're alone.

She flashes a quick smile to seem polite, and is about to excuse herself to go and either throw up or cry, but then Leo laces his fingers through hers under the table. And he slowly rubs his thumb against her knuckles, laughing and talking with his family and ignoring the quick glance she shoots him.

And so Emma relaxes, and manages to take another two bites and he squeezes her hand every time she does, thank you.

And she squeezes back, I love you.

So they're ok.

**2: Hunter/Kara**

Gun to her head, Kara would probably tell you that yeah, Hunter is probably the best thing that's ever happened to her.

And it's not like he's perfect at all, because he'd be a medically proven pessimist if that was a thing and he's definitely cocky and self-righteous. But, and it's the weirdest thing, Kara barely notices the bad stuff. It's just, he makes her laugh and smile and whenever he's near her, her heart pounds like Andy Hurley is using it for a drum set.

And yeah, she scares herself with just how much she cares about him.

So like, they're all on the roof, because it's a nice night and they like to take advantage of the nice nights. Hunter is stretched out on a bean bag, and Kara is on her stomach on a bean bag behind his, her chin propped up right next to his ear. And he's scrolling through some stupid instagram account and they're laughing at all the stupid memes and life feels good.

"Do your friends have accounts?" Kara asks, resting her head against the side of his.

"Yeah." He glances to her, lightning quick, before he's back to typing in the user of one of his friends in the Explore tab. "This is Kyle. He's sort of stoned, all the time..." And Kara laughs, as he explains how Liam has the scar on his lip because he tried to eat a stapler, and Dave's fourteen girlfriends, spilling everything about all of his friends and it's actually really sweet.

He comes to a recent picture of someone, and he's in it. The caption is something like, 'We miss you Hunter, get better,' and Kara watches his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallows. "Yeah, I miss them," he says, and his voice is weirdly gravelly.

Hunter's upset, obviously, and so Kara does the first thing that pops into her head. It's sort of twisting her arm uncomfortably, but if she reaches forward, she can grab his hand, so she does. He actually turns his head towards her when he stares at her, and suddenly they're very, very close. "What?" Kara asks, half-defensive, decidedly staring at his eyes and not his lips.

A slow grin spreads across his face, and he looks back at his phone, turning his palm so he can thread their fingers together. And then they're back to looking at Grumpy Cat.

**3: Leo and Jordi**

It probably hits him around the hair loss stage.

Because even though he's sick and being pumped full of chemicals all the time, Jordi somehow still feels like Jordi. He wakes up every morning and puts two feet on the ground - thank god he at least has that - and he looks in the mirror and sees Jordi Palacios and that's all good.

So he still feels normal, okay? Sue him.

But then there's this one day, and he's in the shower. And he's washing his hair, because when it gets as long as his, as annoying as it sounds, you have to do that. But when his hands come back to grab the soap, there's something dark on his hands - oh my god that's my _hair _-

And that's when he gets it. Because he has cancer, he's had it all along, and it's stupid to think that just because he looks okay, he is okay.

So maybe he panics a little and won't look anywhere near his hands until he's completely sure there's not a strand of hair on them. And he gets right out of the shower, not even bothering to wash out the rest of the shampoo, and dresses with shaky hands, not looking in the mirror, and barely touches his head with the towel, so his hair is still basically soaking wet.

When he gets out of the bathroom, Leo's staring at him from his bed. "You still have shampoo in your hair, man," he says. And Jordi doesn't want to say it, so he looks up and he needs Leo to understand. And judging by the look on his face, Leo completely understands. "Wait here a second," he says, and then disappears into the bathroom.

So Jordi sort of collapses onto his bed, trying not to cry, but it doesn't really work, and when Leo comes back out of the bathroom he sets the hair scissors and the electric razor down on his bed and grabs his hand. He can't really process what Leo's saying, but it's a constant stream of _I know it sucks it sucks so much life sucks this sucks it's terrible_ - and Jordi grips his hand tightly as he sobs, big, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

And when he's finally stopped crying enough to look up at Leo and say "Thank you so much," Leo only smiles a little and keeps holding his hand until he's fully calmed down.

He hands Jordi the scissors and the razor and says, "It hurts less when you get to do it, not your body," and Jordi knows. He knows.

And when he starts to shave away the hair, and his hands are shaking too much, Leo guides the razor across his head. "For he who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother," Jordi says quietly, and Leo smiles.

**4: Brittany/Adam**

So the thing with Adam is he doesn't do clowns. He's not afraid, per se, he just doesn't do clowns and that's that, okay?

Another thing with Adam is that he can't say no to Brittany. He's not in love, per se, he just really likes her eyes and her energy and she makes him happy and that's that. Okay? Okay.

So you see, when Brittany suggests that they bring in a clown for some kid in the pediatric ward's birthday because _Ben really loves clowns, Adam, please_, he's stuck between a rock and a hard place. And since he can't say no to Brittany he's being crushed by the rock, because he really, really, really doesn't do clowns.

"Yay, thank you so much, he's gonna be so excited-" And then Brittany's off ranting about something else, and that's one of the reasons Adam likes her, because she's bigger than this, whatever this is.

And so when the clown comes the next week he really tries to smile, for her sake and also the kid's sake, but all he's thinking about is how totally sinister it looks, and is that just his imagination or does it keep staring at him? No no no, Adam's not scared. He's not. He just... the clown looks really shifty.

And to his completely-not-scared credit, he makes it a whole twenty uncomfortable minutes into the clown's show-thing before excusing himself to go outside and press his head to something cold. And it's barely thirty seconds after that before Brittany's standing next to him, looking sort of nervous and sort of amused, and it's kind of attractive in a weird way.

"You didn't tell me you're afraid of clowns," she says.

"I'm not afraid, I just don't like them," he excuses, turning to her.

She sighs. "I would've dropped the whole thing if you'd have just_ told _me." And then she presses a hand to his forehead, and her expression morphs into one of concern. "Adam, you're burning up..." She frowns. "No more clowns for you, at least not for today. We are going to get ice cream, and you are going to eat it."

And so she takes his hand and drags him along to the cafeteria, and his heart is beating embarrassingly fast. Because she's still surprising him.

**5: Kara and Charlie**

So she's never really... talked to Charlie. Sure, she's annoyed him and yelled at him and blown cigarette smoke in his face, but she's never... talked to him.

It's not until everyone has come to terms with yes, Charlie is awake, and the excitement has died down and it's just him and her that she takes a good look at him. He's a cute kid, and now that his eyes are open she sees that they're a pretty shade of hazel. He really can't be more than twelve. Kara wonders just what he did to deserve this, and then she thinks maybe not everyone is like her and not everyone is sick because they did something wrong.

It's dark outside, and she doesn't want to go and bother Hunter because that's what she'd be doing, bothering him, so she walks over and sits in the chair next to Charlie's bed. "So you're awake now, huh?" Kara says. "Guess I can't call you Coma Boy anymore."

Charlie blinks. Kara lets out something that's half-laugh, half-sigh. "Yeah, well, I've changed a lot too since I got here. I have friends who actually care about me, which is strange, I'm actually making an effort not to be a total bitch, which is strange, there's a guy here who I actually like, which is strange." She smiles. "Also I'm talking to a kid who's been in a coma for the past three months. I guess being awake is pretty strange, huh?"

Charlie blinks.

"Alright, if you're really in there, Blink Boy, we're gonna play a game. Two blinks yes, three blinks no." Kara pauses. "Can you even hear me?"

Charlie blinks three long times, and somehow he manages to make blinking look sassy. "So you can do sarcasm too," Kara says dryly. He blinks twice.

Something in Kara's stomach is churning, and she smiles a little, taking Charlie's hand despite the lump in her throat. "You're gonna wake up, Charlie. You're gonna see your parents, your friends, you... I know you will. You're gonna be okay."

And no, it's not her imagination when he blinks twice and she feels a little pressure in her hand. Kara smiles and squeezes back. "We're gonna be okay."

**XXX**

_So, this is an idea I had. Chapter 2 is going to be called If I Lay Here, and it's all about the cuddles, so if anyone wants to request any relationships/friendships, please tell me! I don't care how strange they are, I will do it! :)_

_Anyways, tell me if you like this idea! And stay awesome. _

_-QOTX_


	2. if i lay here

**1: Brittany/Adam**

So, Brittany's a ball of energy, even when she hasn't had fully caffeinated coffee. When she _has_ had a fully caffeinated coffee...

And really though, Adam had asked for decaf because he knew she got like this, but apparently the new barista is deaf because not a half hour after drinking her coffee, Brittany is literally bouncing off the walls.

And Dena? Dena is really, so unamused, that she has stopped working to just stare blankly at the redhead grin widely and explode with excitement every time she talks.

And then Dena pulls Adam over, says, "You got the coffee, this is your problem, I am giving you an hour to get her under control." And Adam doesn't even remind her that she can't give him orders, because she knows and she doesn't give a crap.

And he guesses it is his fault in a way, he should've checked the cup to make sure 'decaf' was written on it and he didn't, so he doesn't argue, just salutes and proceeds to take his girlfriend by her arm and nearly drag her to his office.

"Ow, ow, what?" Brittany sort of half-glares at him, and it's cute because she's Brittany and she doesn't glare at people. "What was that for?"

He places his hands on her bouncing shoulders, trying to keep the smirk off his face. "Brit, you need to calm down."

"I'm calm," she argues, her fingers moving a mile a minute by her sides. Adam quirks an eyebrow, and she seems to deflate a little. "Yeah, I know I'm being a pain, I'm sorry, I just can't help it."

"Just lay down for a little, take deep breaths," Adam suggests, gesturing to his couch.

"Lay down with me?" She pleads. "Pleeeease?"

And yeah, he can't really say no to Brittany so he gives in and lies down, and she snuggled against his chest. "You're warm," she says quietly.

Adam laughs, because this is adorable, and he presses a kiss to her forehead. "Well, I try," he replies, and she sighs into his shoulder and he thinks maybe he should _accidentally_ get caffeinated coffee tomorrow.

**2: Dash and Kara**

Hunter is in surgery, and Kara is _terrified_.

Not the kind of terrified where your eyes are wide, and your breathing is heavy and your heart beats one hundred times too fast. No. It's the kind of terrified where she's sitting on the couch right outside the operating room with her knees tucked to her chest, completely silent and still freaking out because _he's everything what if he doesn't come out, oh my god. _

And so that's mostly why she doesn't notice Dash until he literally pokes her in the shoulder, hard. Kara glares at him, because _duh, can't you tell I want to be alone?_

She only realizes she's said it out loud until he shrugs and says, "Yeah, I don't really think you do."

"Oh really, somehow I think I missed the part where you're a mind reader, now," she shoots back, feeling sort of proud because that was a good one.

He doesn't even reply, the stupid idiot, only slinging his arm around her. "You do realize I have a boyfriend," she says dryly.

Dash rolls his eyes. "I'm not being _romantic_," he says, spitting out the last word like it's some disease. "You, are terrified and as a fellow Red Bander I am duty bound to take care of you, no matter how annoying you are."

"Thanks, you're doing wonders for my mental state," she mutters, but she does relax into his arm a little bit, ignoring the victorious smirk he shoots her.

Because maybe she just likes having friends, okay? Yes, they're all dorks, and the whole concept of the Red Band Society is dorky, but she... she loves them. They're her family now, and Dash reaching out to her when she's obviously upset, well, that doesn't go unnoticed.

And so she'll let him be there, because yeah, okay, she's terrified and the arm around her shoulder makes it a little, little bit better.

**3: Leo/Emma**

So Emma's dad is here, and that's all great and fine, except he keeps insisting that they go to lunch together.

And maybe he's somehow _forgotten_ that his daughter has an eating disorder, because really, why would you? Leo knows, Leo knows that Emma is trying, but he also knows you can't force it. And he can't shake this bad feeling in his stomach, even as Emma gives a smile that is tighter than usual and grabs his hand and the three of them start walking to the restaurant.

They get to the food place inside the hospital, the expensive one for visitors, and Emma's dad immediately orders half the menu. And Emma's already tensing up, Leo can tell, and he tries to grab her hand again but Emma's dad shoots him a glance and he sort of sinks away.

They make small talk, about this college and that sports team, but Leo can tell that it's not what this lunch is about. Because as soon as the food comes, Emma's dad kind of tapers off in the middle of his sentence and just stares.

And Emma, to her credit, pretends not to notice as she sort of stabs at the pasta, moving it around on her plate and occasionally glancing at Leo. And Leo wonders what kind of person Emma's dad must be to not realize how uncomfortable he's making her, and then he realizes that it doesn't really matter, he just needs to get Emma away.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Emma excuses quickly after two minutes of being stared at like a test subject. "Wait here."

"Uh, I need to go, to," Leo says. Emma's dad sort of half-raises an eyebrow and half-glares, so Leo improvises. "The medications I'm on, they increase bladder functions, and sometimes I just can't hold it in." He shoots the older man a crooked grin, and it's both rude and total BS, but whatever.

So he follows her - not to the bathroom, back to the hospital, who do you think they are - and when she plops down on his bed, almost in tears, he sits right down next to her and hugs her to him. "I though he'd changed, I thought it'd be different," Emma says quietly, shaking a little.

"Hey, it's okay," Leo whispers, brushing his fingers through her hair, and she sort of curls into him. "The nurses will get him to leave, you don't ever have to see him again, he doesn't deserve you anyways."

And so she sighs and laughs a little, and he holds her, and it's ok. A little.

**4: Hunter/Kara**

Pretty much everyone knows that Kara can get pretty loud and annoying. Hunter, who has subjected (voluntarily, enthusiastically) to spending most of his time with Kara, knows this. What pretty much everyone doesn't know is that when Kara gets especially loud and annoying, it's not just because she likes being loud and annoying, it's that she's scared. Hunter knows this, too, and he's probably the only one who does.

So they're hanging out together in his room, just the two of them, and My Cousin Vinny is playing on the TV. It's one of Hunter's favorite movies, but he picked it mostly because even though she doesn't seem the type, Kara loves comedies and he likes seeing her eyes light up when she laughs.

And they're sitting on his bed, watching the part where Vinny is meeting Stan in the jail, when Kara stiffens and gasps a little. Hunter turns to her, confused. "Kara, you okay?"

She brushes him off, shifting a little. "I'm fine, just a little cold, I mean what temperature is your room? Are you an Eskimo or something?" It's not even one of her best insults, and Hunter is barely affected by it, but something's made her scared and he wants it to stop.

"Kara, look at me," he says. And she turns her head, but even in the slight dark he can tell her eyes are nowhere near his face, and _suddenly it hits him_. "Kara, how many fingers am I holding up?" He asks, putting up one.

Kara rolls her eyes. "Obviously four, three - crap, I don't know, it's all black." She breaks off, looking down, and her voice changes from irritated to terrified in one second. "Please don't call someone, I'll be okay in five minutes, I promise," she says, and it sort of breaks his heart.

"Shh." Hunter tugs her closer to him, so they're both sort of propped up on the pillows next to his headboard. "Just, just close your eyes, and take deep breaths. Pretend like everything is completely normal." And she does, shutting her eyes and pressing her face into his chest, and he wraps his arms around her, and they stay like that, wrapped up in each other for a good five minutes as Kara calms her breathing.

And if she looks up and meets his eyes another five minutes later and kisses him, well, he's not complaining.

**5: Dash and Emma**

Everyone knows Dash and Leo are best friends. And everyone knows that Emma and Leo are dating. But what everyone doesn't know is just how good of friends Dash and Emma are. Partially because yeah, sometimes they both have to put up with Leo's crap, but it's more than that.

Emma's just... she has Dash's back. She's smart, and she's honest, and she makes him laugh during his oxygen treatments when he can't get his mind off _I am dying this is killing me_. And Dash likes to think he keeps her grounded in a way whenever she thinks too much. And that's how their friendship works, and Dash likes it.

But also, there are the times when he's got to be more than a friend for Emma, he has to be a big brother, a shield when she gets especially bad or she has a fight with Leo or the nightmares come back. And Dash doesn't mind, he's never had a little sister of his own and he likes protecting people and this is just one way he's there for Emma.

Tonight, she's gotten especially bad and had a fight with Leo and the nightmares have come back, and so she stumbles into his room at God-knows-when in the morning, and the first thing he does is rip a blanket off his bed and wrap it around her shoulders. Then he hugs her as she cries a little into his shoulder, saying something about _Oh god I really screwed it up this time he doesn't want me anymore Dash, oh god I screwed up so bad -_

And so he brings her to his couch and she sort of flops down, bringing him down with her, and he just hugs her, and he wants to take all the hurt away, he wants her to know that he's always here, for her. "It's gonna be okay, Em," he says, resting his chin on the top of her head. "You're okay. You're okay."

And slowly, her sobs die down, until she's just breathing really heavily into his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispers, her voice thick. She always apologizes, she never needs to.

"It's okay, little sis," Dash replies, and she smiles at that, sniffling a bit and resting her head on his chest. "Stay here as long as you need."

"Do you really think we'll be okay?" Emma whispers, her voice soft and uneven.

"I think Leo likes you way to much to let a little fight ruin everything you guys have," Dash says. And so Emma smiles, and relaxes. And he's done something good today.

**XXX**

_So, did you guys like it? I tried to fit all your ship suggestions in, but you can still suggest them for chapter three, which is called Dance, Dance, which is... well, I think you can tell. So... review and all that!_

_-QOTX_


	3. dance, dance

**1: Hunter/Kara**

So it's Kara's birthday, right.

And last year, it was a huge deal because she could strut around like a total bitch and everyone would fall all over her, but now she's trying not to be a bitch and she doesn't really want people falling all over her, anyways. Now, she just wants to have a day with her friends, and laugh a lot and maybe eat some cupcakes. Except there's one problem - her friends have disappeared.

Literally. She doesn't know why they chose this day to escape the hospital and leave her, but she's been looking for someone, anyone all day and so far the only one she's got is Charlie. So she's been talking to him about her plans to slaughter everyone else, but like. It's only _fair. _

"I mean honestly, it's not even like I care about my birthday that much, I just..." And she slowly tapers off as Hunter appears at the doorway to her room and knocks on the open door. Kara turns on him, hands on her hips. "Hunter Cole! Where have you _been_ all day?"

And he just smirks that adorable smirk of his and holds out his hand. "Come with me and I'll show you."

So she takes his hand and he leads them through the hospital, up the floors, never letting go of her. And when they reach the roof, Kara has to clap a hand over her mouth because, wow.

The whole place is decorated with white fairy lights, and there's a cheap sparkly Happy Birthday banner hanging in between two chairs. And there's a bunch of cupcakes and a six pack on the table. And all her friends are here, grinning like idiots, and wow. "Happy Birthday," Hunter says, grinning.

It's not until much later when most everyone is gone and some Parachute song is playing from the radio, when Hunter asks, "May I have this dance, Birthday Girl?"

And of course she calls him a dork but accepts, and she rests her head against his chest, just drinking in everything and life, and she sort of regrets wearing the shirt she's wearing because _his fingers are holding the skin near her waist_ and he's cold.

And so then the guy singing the song says something about _Kiss Me Slowly _and Kara grins. "Is this song your idea of an invitation?" She asks, raising her eyebrows.

"It is if you want it to be," Hunter whispers, completely serious. And so by the time the verse starts she's wrapped her arms around his neck and he tastes like cupcakes and Hunter, basically her two favorite things, and it's the best present ever.

**2: Emma/Leo**

So they're on a date, and it's not even at a food place.

Leo, because he's Leo and he's possibly the most amazing person to walk the Earth, had taken the liberty of telling everyone that he would whack them over the head with his crutch if they even came within five feet of the roof. At least that's what Emma's assuming, since no one has come within five feet of the roof. Actually, the last she checked, they were all in Charlie and Kara's room (well it's basically Hunter's too because he _doesn't leave_) watching The Simpsons reruns on Kara's iPad.

But that's not really the point.

The point is that currently Emma and Leo are on the roof, squished onto the same bean bag, staring at the stars. And it's sort of cold, so Leo takes his jacket off and wrapped it around her, even though she's wearing a sweater and he's wearing a T-Shirt, because he's Leo and Leo does that for people.

And they've been talking about the stars and the meaning of life and their childhoods _before all this_ and Emma doesn't think this night can get any more perfect.

"So, you wanna dance?" Leo asks, shifting to look her fully in the eyes.

Okay, so it just did.

"Okay." And Emma smiles, and he smiles back, and stands up, leaving his crutch on the ground. "Leo-" Emma starts, because really, he doesn't have to, _I mean that must hurt. _

But Leo only smiles and winces a little _which makes Emma's heart hurt it really does_ and holds out a hand. And she takes it, and he pulls her up.

There's a radio on the roof, and he turns it to the station that plays old classical music and Emma laughs as he opens his arms expectantly. "This song is my jam," he says, and it's all just.

Emma puts her hands on his shoulders, and he wraps his arms around her waist. There's a bright smile on his face, and it's blinding, really, because who deserves this, not her. "Love you," she says quietly.

And he doesn't question it, just hugs her tighter and they sway back and forth to Bach.

And Emma closes her eyes, and she breathes.

**3: Hunter and Jordi**

At Ocean Park, cheesy bread day in the cafeteria is everyone's favorite.

Because yeah, they normally have good food, sure. But every Tuesday they switch out the pizza for bread with cheese and there's marinara sauce, and sure everyone sort of exaggerates its taste, but it's a _thing_. And besides, Jordi just... he likes it.

So one day everyone sort of forgets lunch and it's a Tuesday and they're late to lunch so when everyone's gotten except him and Hunter. And Jordi sort of stares, eyebrows raised, and he doesn't know whether he's challenging or begging.

And Dash waltzes over like the drama queen he is, slinging an arm around each of their shoulders, and laughs. "Man, we got a situation here!"

Kara sort of rolls her eyes. "It's not a big deal, Dash. If Hunter really wants it, he can have mine."

"Shhh! Zip!" Dash shakes a finger at her, and continues dramatically. "This can only be settled by the most intense of competitions - Just Dance 2!"

"I don't know, my chemo's sort of making me tired today-" Jordi starts. Because really, not only does _he not dance 100% can't do that!_ he is feeling sort of strange.

"You scared?" Hunter asks, grinning.

Jordi opens and closes his mouth before returning the smirk and shaking his head. "It is so on, dude."

And so Dash sets up the console and Jordi has one remote and Hunter has the other. And they look ridiculous, spinning and jumping and doing all these really strange things with their arms - what is that supposed to be - but it's just fun. Also he's winning, but it's fun.

Until the world starts spinning and Jordi stutters out an, "Uh..." before feeling an intense need to hug the ground.

And he almost does, really, except then he doesn't, because something is holding him, _wait - those are arms_. He opens his eyes blearily to find Hunter staring down on him, concerned and eyes wide. "Jordi? Jordi, can you hear me?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm just." And Hunter seems to understand, because he wraps Jordi's arm around his shoulder and then him and Dash help him to his room.

And then it's another five minutes before he stops retching into the toilet and Hunter is still there holding out the cheesy bread. "I know chemo sucks," he says gently. "But if you ever get hungry, this'll be here."

Jordi grins, and then he's back to throwing up, but still. Friends are good.

**4: Emma and Dash**

Emma's school is having a dance tomorrow.

And it's not a big deal. It's really not. Emma would so much rather be at the hospital, as sad as it sounds, than at that school dance. She would probably sit on the bleachers, alone, because really. Emma Chota doesn't do dances.

Except something about it is itching her. And it itches her all day, and she can't get it off her mind. For some reason, she keeps picturing herself in a dress. And it's _weird_.

Of course, Dash is the one who notices she's been a little off, and he takes her arm and pulls her aside from the Red Bander's intense Go-Fish tournament with a worried look in his face. "Yo Emma, you okay?" He asks.

Emma thinks for a second. "It's not like I can't dance," she blurts, and Dash looks supremely confused. "I mean, I know if I were there right now I wouldn't be doing anything, it's just, I don't know why and I keep thinking about it but it's so dumb, it's just a dance -"

And then Dash seems to get it. "Hey," he says, cutting her off. "You know, if you really want..."

"If I really want what?" Emma asks.

Dash grins, and she's sort of scared. "We can have our own dance. And we can have our own music, not the crappy stuff they play at school dances."

Emma is sort of at a loss for words, because, okay. That's really sweet, and even though it's Dash and Dash is a generally sweet person, she didn't really expect that, and okay.

So they go to his room, completely ditching Go-Fish, because whatever, they'll apologize later. And Dash plays some music from his phone, propping it up on his desk and reaching out to Emma. "Dance with me?"

Emma laughs, rolling her eyes, and accepts his hand. He spins around dramatically, doing some version of the salsa/tango/dougie and she can't help but hug him. "Thank you, Dash," she whispers.

"Anything for you, baby sis," he says back, over-exaggerating a wink.

And Emma sort of wonders how she got so lucky.

**5: Charlie and People ****_(I don't know what is this what)_**

So they're having another pizza party in his room.

And Charlie knows, he knows that the Red Band Society are his friends. He knows they care about him, even though he hasn't said a word to them. He just wants them to know that he cares back, and he can't, and it sort of hurts.

Because his eyes are open, and he can blink yes or no, but he can't do much more than that and to him it's not a real improvement. He wants to wake up, for real, with moving and talking and hugging. Lots of hugs. He wants to hug everyone.

So anyways, there's a box of pepperoni on his bed. Jordi is eating a slice, leaning against the wall. Leo is standing by him, talking with everyone else. Kara is curled up in Hunter's lap in a chair by his bed, and Emma is on the other side, asking him lots of questions but it's not tiring, it's good, really good, because he feels like he belongs with them, right there.

Dash is dancing.

And it's sort of stupid, he looks stupid anyways, what's the Wobble? And everyone is laughing, and Charlie just suddenly wants - he wants to dance. But it's like. He can't.

But he just wants to.

He closes his eyes and sort of screws them shut, because he needs to concentrate. And he knows, they're gathered around him, he hears Emma frantically asking if he's okay, or in pain, but no one bothers to turn the music down. And he uses that as his fuel, because he needs to - to dance.

It hurts, it really does, but he manages to twitch his mouth. And then he really thinks, and he tries, and he can feel it, moving. And there's an audible gasp as he smiles, he smiles and it's amazing.

He opens his eyes again, still smiling, sort of in pain but he's moved, and wow. Everyone is standing around him, mouths sort of open and laughing and he thinks maybe there's a tear in Hunter's eyes, but it can't be sad tears, he's grinning so wide.

"Charlie," Kara sort of sighs, reaching out and taking his hand. She squeezes, probably not even noticing. And he squeezes back, and ow. But he does and he's still smiling stupidly.

Okay, so maybe he won't dance. Not for awhile. But he can smile, and that's okay for now.

**XXX**

_**REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE!**_

_So I don't know if any of you know, but according to my Drama teacher who I'm pretty sure is right, Fox has given Red Band Society's time spot to the show Empire after this season. Basically they have the next show and the finale and that might be it. So me and some of my friends are going to write letters to Fox, and email them to try and get them to keep Red Band Society on. If you want to help, PM me, and maybe we can get RBS back on. _

_In other news, next chapter is called If My Love Is A Weapon and it's about everyone saying 'I love you' to each other because that's cute. _

_Also, what did you guys think of yesterday's episode? Review and all that. _

_-QOTX_


	4. help save rbs!

I know this is not a new chapter, and I am so sorry because I hate that so much and I know how much people hate that, but this is really important. It could determine the fate of the show. Maybe.

So the story is, Red Band is doing really bad and getting bad ratings and stuff. It's almost certain to be cancelled - but Fox can't cancel shows officially until May. I think. Basically it's not dead yet, but everyone pretty much knows it's sort of headed that way.

And so below I have gotten the address of some executive producers of the show (actually them, not just their agents) that you all can write to. They don't make all the decisions, but they have influence and can talk to Fox directly. I don't know if it will make a difference at all, but it's really worth a try to write to them. It doesn't have to be a long novel, just anything that's sincere.

And another thing - the only way to save the show is to save its ratings. So tell all your friends to watch or at least record the show. Start something on social media (#heartandsoul or #savetheredbands or something equally as cheesy and amazing). I'm going to start a forum about this, so either PM me if you want to be a part.

Again, sorry this isn't a chapter. One will come on Sunday.

-QOTX

**Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank**

**Amblin Television**

**100 Universal Plaza**

**Building 477**

**Universal City, California**

**91608**


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